DAIRY FACTORIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 August 1924, Page 3

DAIRY FACTORIES.

LOWGARTH COMPANY. The twenty-seventh annual meeting of the Lowgarth Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltcl., was held in the Lowgartn Halt on Thursday. The chairman of directors (Mr A. D. Johnson) presided over a. fair attendance. In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, the chairman congratulated shareholders upon another successful season. Throughout the year the output, had been consigned, and while the market had fluctuated a good deal, the price received for cheese having at one period fallen from 11U* to 82s, the directors had taken the' unsold cheese into the balancesheet at a safe basis, and there should be more yet to come to the' suppliers. He hoped the operations of the Dairy Control Board, which had now been placed on a working footing, would tend to mitigate against unfavourable market fluctuations in the future.

The supply of milk this year had been a record, showing an increase of 325,0001 b. The average test had fallen slightly, but butter-fat received had shown an increase of 6431 b. Last year, owing to the ripe condition of the milk supplied in the hot weather, less ‘‘starter” milk, had been used, and the amount of whey butter manufactured had not been so great as for the previous year. The figure showing pounds of milk required to make lib of cheese (9.011 b) was to be regarded as ; very satisfactory; in fact, very few companies whose balance-sheets he had perused had done as well. The total manufacturing costs had amounted to 4.06 d per lb, but of this £660» or about Ad per 11), had been incurred in exchange.

The chairman said that suppliers would remember the previous year’s balance-sheet had assessed the pay-out at Is 9d, with Lid to come. Since then the remainder of the season’s output had been sold, and the actual pay-out had amounted to 2s Ogd. This year they were mot quite so sanguine, but it was expected that the final realisation of unsold produce . would bring this year’s pay-out very near the figure distributed at the close of last season. The chairman warmly thanked the directors, the secretary (Mr T. IT. Penn), the manager (Mr J. L. Taylor), and the staff for the way they had carried out their duties. The year had been a hard one for all concerned in the administration and management of the factory, and all had done their work well. Mr E. A. Gray seconded. In reply to a shareholder, the chairman said there weye 1191 crates of cheese unsold. The latest advices for butter which was manufactured during the winter had been very encouraging, and if their unsold boxes were placed on the market at or near the ruling rates there would be an appreciable sum to distribute. He further stated that out of 6917 crates of cheese manufactured 264 . had been secondgrade. The average grade for cheese had been 84.6, that for creamery butter 90.40, arid for whey butter 84.71. Mr J. Burke asked to what cause the large amount of second-grade cheese was attributed. He suggested that perhaps the old factory was to blame. The chairman said that in the main it was due to inferior milk supplied during the hot, muggy weather experienced last season. It was the largest, amount of second-grade cheese he could remember having been turned out by the Lowgarth Company. The factory manager, speaking in connection with the same matter, pointed out that the supply of inferior milk had been more or"' less general throughout Taranaki during the hot period referred to. Lowgarth had not been affected to the same extent as other factories down on the Plains, but there could he no doubt the quality of the milk was not as good as it should be, and while he hesitated to refuse milk he had had to send hack a small quantity in the height of the summer. He made a strong appeal to suppliers for better and cleaner milk, pointing out that any improvement in quality was in their own interests, and was reflected in a better pay-out. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. For the vacancies caused by the resignation of Mr T. J. Malone, who had left the district, and the retirement by rotation of Mr E. A. Gray, Messrs E. A. Gray and L. Babington uere elected.

Mr J. H. Thomas was re-elected auditor. The chairman gave notice of motion to revise the articles of association at a special meeting to be held in one month’s time. He mentioned that the articles were drawn up about 25 years ago, and now were hopelessly out of date; in fact, it was no longer safe to carry on under the old articles. Some discussion ensued upon the advisability of planting out the land surrounding the company’s new factory with suitable trees, "and it was finally agreed to leave the matter to the directors. A bonus of £25 was voted to the manager, complimentary reference being made to the excellent manner in which Mr Taylor had conducted the affairs of the factory, and also to the valuable assistance he had given the company in preparing plans, etc., for the new factory. The chairman mentioned that an increase had been made in Mr Taylor’s salarv in view of the splendid work he had done. Bonuses of £5 each were voted to the first and second assistants, whose work also came in for eulogistic comment.

Tlie chairman was voted an honorarium of £IOO. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr T. J. Malone, who laid retired from the directorate on account of leaving the district. The remaining: directors were also highly commended ior their work in connection with the company’s interests, and received a cordial vote of thank's. A vote of thanks was also carried to the ladies who had supplied luncheon.—’.Yews. TIIK. NEW FACTORY. A visit to the Lowgarth Dairy Co.’s new factory was paid yesterday by a Star representative, who. bv the courtesy of the manager (Mr. J. L. Taylor) and the contracting overseer of the work (Mr. J. Simmons, of Stratford), was shown over the plant. The building itself, which was commenced in March, is now finished and there remains but a little work to complete the installation of the machnery and fittings, which it is expected will be effected in time to allow the new plant to commence- operating during the latter part of next week. Some further work in filling and metalling the road approaches to the stands also requires to be done. Yesterday the chairman of directors (Mr. A. D. Johnson) and a number of other suppliers were busily engaged in pushing this on towards completion. An interesting feature of the newly erected equipment which is being installed under the supervision of Mr. C. Swanson, of New Plymouth, is notable in the fixings and ttoor connections, which are all of iron, in accordance with the latest methods, thus providing for improved faeilites in cleaning and ensuring sanitation. The

interior walls are flushed with a white Atlas cement dado, which finish has also been adopted on the front of the building, while cleanliness is further suggested in the pleasing appearance of the white tiled whey drains and tanks. The following dimensions are of interest: Receiving stage 25ft x lift, test room loft x lift, starter room lift x Bft, cheese-makinp, room 69ft x 57ft, butter-room 69ft x 35ft. salt-room 25ft x 14ft, store 25ft x 13ft, curing-room 70ft x 30ft, engineroom 25ft x 22ft, boiler-room 25ft x 21ft, coal-room 21ft x 14ft. The whey tank has an .approximate capacity of 4900 gallons, and the elevated water tank is capable of holding a little over 14,000 gallons. The curing-room, with a shelving capacity of 1562 cheeses, has been renovated and enlarged. The cheese-making room contains eight vats with a total capacity of approximately 6500 gallons. In everything relating to the factory, the endeavour has been made to bring it up to the very latest standards, and the company are to be congratulated on having a thoroughly up to date plant to handle their supplies

KAKARAMEA DAIRY CO. The annual meeting of the Kakaramea Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., was held in the Kakaramea Hall yesterday, when the chairman, Mr A. Pearce, presided over an attendance of about 20 shareholders. In moving the adoption 'of the annual report and balance-sheet, the chairman said that the pay-out for the season just ended was a little below normal, the final price for butter-fat being something over Is sd. The company’s biggest setback’ this year was their yield, which was the lowest in their history, and had meant about Id per lb butter-fat to the suppliers. It appeared that the manager had beeh making too dry a cheese. However, they had also had the smallest shrinkage, and this had served to counteract the low yield to a certain extent. The company had had a very high grade, but companies did not get paid for these high grades. A factory with an 88 grade and a factory with a 94 grade got paid exactly the same price, although the retailer at Home was paid easily Id per lb more for the highgrade produce. It was evident that with the present method of marketing that the company was not getting true value for its produce. At the annual meeting of the N.D.A. a proposal had been carried to raise the grading noints for first grade from 88 to 90." His opinion was that they should fall into line with the N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Co.—that big company in the Waikato —and have another brand for the produce of 92 points and over. This “superfine'” brand would .then bring 4s and 5s more than the lowdr-graded produce.

They would, of course, have noticed that a move had been made in South Ta ranaki for the establishment of a laboratory. He admitted that it Mas a good proposal,, for the industry had arrived at a point M’here any further improvements would have to lie achieved by scientific investigation. However, he considered that such a'n institution should be under the control of the Dairy Division, so that the whole of the Dominion should receive the benefits of that scientific investigation. If South Taranaki got a really first-class article they u’otild not get the benefit of it. as the Kakaramea Co. had found out by past experience. The only u-ay to get the benefit of a first-class article was to improve the quality of the whole of the Dominion’s produce. It Mould be seen, therefore, that a laboratory should be a Dominion one.

The chairman said that the dairying industry was still in the hands of the “rooks” in England. This last season a number of companies had anticipated that the market would he forced down, and so had arranged to hold their cheese in storage. This they did. hut those who controlled the market kept it down for such a length of time that the cheese, which was not in proper cokl storage, began to deteriorate. Consequently the companies were forced to. sell, and within a week or two of their sidling the market was up to !)2s. While the dairy companies held the cheese the market was low, hut as soon as it passed into the hands of the purchasing firms the market re.-c. “It is no use talking to me about supply and demand controlling tile price of cheese on the market,” said the chairman. Mr Hall said that the late manager hail been building up a reputation at tiie shareholders’ expense by working to obtain too high a grade. The chairman agreed that a manager could overdo the moisture content of the cheese, and could also underdo it. If there were too much moisture that moisture soaked down to the bottom of the cheese when it was stored, and so rotted that portion of it. The report and balance-sheet as already published were then adopted. Mr. G. TT Buckeridge was present, and after sneaking on lines similar to that reported in the Star previously, gave some interesting information concerning the value, from a marketing roint of view, of highly graded cheese. Ho said that, seeing Kaknrnmen’s ehoese had been graded as high ns 95, lie had asked the firm which lie represented to give him a report on the marketing value of the cheese at Homo. He had expected that that report would ho highly flattering, hut it turned out that it was just the opposite. The reply he got was that the cheese was not suitable for the market at Home at all. It was too dry. brittle and hard in texture. The report of the Government grader at Home, said

Mr. Buckeridge, was even more dras- 1 tic. Mr. Buckeridge said it seemed to J him that the grading points in Neu; j Zealand did not operate in accordance with the tastes of the consumers at Home. The cheese which M'as most u in the Old Countrv was that M-hich u'a s graded from 90 to 9L}. The cheese grading higher than that was not better. Continuing, Mr. Buckeridge said cheese manufactured from pasteurised milk could without danger of injury contain more moisture than was safe urith cheese made from non-pasteurised milk. The Kakaramea Company, he said, had manufactured one of the driest kinds of cheese in South Taranaki, and although the grade had been high, the product was not suited to the palates of the consumers at Home. Also, by manufacturing such ni dry cheese, the suppliers had lost nearly per lb butter-fat According to a recognised standard they had made less cheese per 1001 b of milk than should be the case nrith normal milk of the Kakaramea suppliers’ test. Another factory in -South Taranaki had made nearly lib of cheese more per 1001 b of milk than should be the case. Mr. Buckeridge also mentioned that buyers in England vent a good deal on the fat content of the cheese. They M’ould run the iron into the cheese to take a sample, and Mould first of all look at the back of the iron for traces of fat. If there M’ere no traces of fat the.) Mould not even look at the sample A Poll was held to fill the four vacancies on the directorate and Messrs A. Pearce, F. Bell, P. AV. Tong and K. Carmichael wore elected. Mi. J. Tv. Mitchell unis. reappointed auditor at the. same remuneration. On tlie . motion of Air Ohristensen it Mas decided to increase the directors’ to at t 0 -i 1 K uinea P er monthly meeting. Mr Frank McKenna considered that i the directors should lie paid travailin' l ' Ij expenses, but the chairman did nut I accept the motion, ns he considered jtlnit the expense M’ould ho too great. I ho directors Mere Milling to pnv their om'u expenses. A vote of thanks for his services on the directorate was accorded Mr J DM'yer. Mr. Erie Pearce Macs voted five guineas for special services rendered in conenction with the duties of the dram committee. j ft ." as decided to hold a special meeting to consider the question of , subscribing towards the new Paitea [ 1 reeling Works scheme. i Mr. Hall paid a tribute to the good | 'y o| k of the secretary, Air. AY. F. iSheild, and on his motion a heartv [vote of tbankjs, was accorded that j gentleman. The chairman’s honorarium Mas increased to £SO, and a vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the meeting.